Last summer was, for the large part, a cruel one for Everton.
There were just five incoming transfers, with only one of those — an ultimately ill-fated loan deal for Arnaut Danjuma — costing up-front cash.
Payments for Beto and Youssef Chermiti were pushed back to the 2024-25 financial year, while Jack Harrison arrived on loan from Leeds United and Ashley Young was signed on a free transfer.
With Sean Dyche’s squad in desperate need of reinforcements late in the window, instead all the business was all outbound: Alex Iwobi — a key player over the past two seasons — was sold to Fulham on deadline day for £22million; Neal Maupay headed out of the door on loan to Brentford; Tom Cannon, the promising academy striker, had to be sold; Demarai Gray, having been out in the cold all summer and arguably mishandled by Dyche, was eventually sold to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. And no more players came in.
Over the course of last season, with Everton suffering multiple points deductions, it’s clear to see why the club had to tighten its belt so much in the summer of 2023. Dyche really was up against it, and it speaks to the job he has done — but also, the poor quality of last season’s Premier League — that Everton still stayed up with plenty of breathing room.
There was an expectation that this summer would follow a similar path for Everton. There was a need to sell players for book profit before the PSR deadline of June 30th, and uncertainty over the club’s future ownership.
But, at least at first, those expectations appeared to be flawed.
Everton remained calm in the face of pressure. There was no firesale of key assets like Jarrad Branthwaite, despite Manchester United’s attempts to unsettle the player and force the Toffees’ hand.
Ben Godfrey and Lewis Dobbin were sold prior to the June 30th deadline, creating in the region of £16million in book profit for PSR. Meanwhile, the Friedkin Group — owners of Roma — entered an exclusivity agreement with Farhad Moshiri.
Incomings also arrived: Harrison returned on loan from Leeds, a sensible option — the player enjoyed his time at Goodison Park last term, Dyche rates him highly and with the Whites having missed out on promotion, the 27-year-old could rejoin on a free loan.
Tim Iroegbunam joined for £9m from Aston Villa, in a deal tied in with the Dobbin sale to the Villans (albeit listed as a separate transaction), to provide fresh blood in midfield. Iliman Ndiaye signed for £16m from Marseille — a long-term attacking target of Kevin Thelwell, Ndiaye should provide the flair and quality Everton lacked so often in the final third last season.
But there was, and is, still much work to be done, and even if the pressure was not on from a PSR standpoint, a big sale was still always likely to be required as Everton looked to find ways to raise funds.
Step forward, Amadou Onana.
The Belgian midfielder was always likely to be the main figure to leave the club this summer, and over the last week, a deal worth up to £55m was struck with Villa.
Onana is a quality player with top-class potential, but had seemingly never fit in with Dyche’s preferred system — rightly or wrongly. An excellent possession player who is ideal as a deep-lying midfielder in a possession-based style, Onana proved his quality at Euro 2024 with Belgium, but it felt like the right time for all parties to move on. The fee could perhaps be considered on the low side — given it is an initial £50m — but Everton needed a deal done.
The 22-year-old’s departure was confirmed on Monday, and now attention has to turn to Thelwell and the recruitment team. A good start to the transfer window has somewhat stalled, with Everton missing out on targets such as Jaden Philogene, while Yankuba Minteh would have been a Toffee had Newcastle, Everton and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all come to an agreement on that transaction.
Everton were right not to be held to ransom over Philogene, but the need for an injection of pace, particularly on the flanks, is clear. Wilfred Gnonto is their prime target, like last year, but the difference now is Everton, in theory, have the funds to get the deal over the line. While they should not pay over the odds, it is paramount a move is completed quickly. The same can be said for Jesper Lindstrom — there is interest in a possible loan deal, though most of the noises appear to be coming from Italian sources, rather than those on Merseyside.
For the first time in his tenure as Director of Football, Thelwell has a pot of money to play with, without as much fear over the PSR threshold. Onana’s sale has surely guaranteed Everton will not breach — if required, it will likely be allocated to the 2023-24 accounts as a ‘near miss’, with precedent suggesting that it should be allowed to pass as such.
There is uncertainty over Calvert-Lewin’s feature, but for now he remains an Everton player and, like it or not Evertonians, he is the best striker at the club and should play. He is also the ideal fit for a Dyche centre-forward.
Everton look determined to keep Branthwaite, and there is talk the centre-back could even be offered a new deal.
But new signings are needed. There is still plenty of work to do — at a minimum, Everton probably need four or five players in before the deadline at the end of August, and that would be assuming no more outgoings.
New players creates a buzz for the fanbase — and this fanbase has been hit from pillar to post as of late. Indeed, the most-recent blow came just last week, when it was announced that the Friedkin Group had withdrawn from negotiations due to concerns around the club’s debt to 777 Partners/A-Cap, or possibly the legalities of the cases those parties are currently embroiled in.
The club were quick to suggest, through trusted local sources, that the immediate finances were secure, but doubt will remain unless Everton kick back into gear with their recruitment.
The pressure really is now on Thelwell and Head of Recruitment Dan Purdy to deliver, and give Dyche a fighting chance for next season.